Purrfect Pairing

I recently came across this purrfect idea and wanted to share it with you. A charity, St Giles Animal and Rescue Centre near Taunton in Somerset, has set up a cat companion scheme. The idea behind the scheme is to pair home homeless cats with older people.

As with many animal charities, St Giles have found themselves with a growing number of animals coming into the centre. In fact, many charity bosses have hit crisis point amid a disturbing rise in abandoned pets in desperate need of care. The reasons for the rise in animal abandonment have been attributed to factors such as the aftermath of the pandemic and cost of living increases. This also puts financial pressure on the charities who find they are struggling to survive due to their growing costs and their resources are stretched to the limit as the number of animals needing their care and support rises.

The manager at St Giles Animal and Rescue Centre, Jack Linnell, seems to have come up with a way of helping to ease part of the problem by creating a cat companion scheme. Jack said: "We've got to think of other ways to rehome these animals.” The solution is to pair up homeless cats with isolated people in the community.

The cat companion scheme is working in two ways, first it is a way to rehome abandoned animals, in this case cats, and secondly to help combat loneliness in the community amongst older adults. It is well documented that pets offer a sense of routine and purpose to the daily lives of older people. They can make people feel less lonely and isolated, they bring a sense of comfort, companionship, joy and connection. The presence of an animal can boost mood, decrease stress levels, and even improve physical health through activities like walking a dog or playing with a cat.

Angela Wills, 89, who lives in Stoke St Gregory, decided to take part in the St Giles cat companionship scheme, she has been paired with 13-year-old Snowy. She said: "It's lovely, I know that I'm not on my own and she's the best alarm clock to wake up to in the morning. I’m so glad I've got her." The other great thing about this scheme is that once paired they continue to support both the owner and the cat with home visits and provide treatments for the animal if needed.

I hope that the initiative is adopted across more communities, it’s a small solution to a big problem.

click here for more details or to contact Alice Chilton In-Home Care Services Ltd